IHC suspends notification of ECP members’ appointment

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday suspended the notification of appointment of two new members of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) till December 5 and remarked that the matter should be solved in parliament.

Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah took up the plea filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) challenging the appointment of two new members of ECP.

During the hearing, Justice Minallah remarked that the matter pertained to the parliament and it should be addressed in the House.

“We have full confidence in Speaker National Assembly and Chairman Senate in this regard,” the IHC CJ remarked. Justice Minallah further remarked that the supremacy of Parliament was more important for the courts.

The representative of Speaker National Assembly and Chairman Senate told the court that three meeting had been conducted on the matter but it couldn't be resolved so far due to current demonstration in the Federal Capital.

They requested the court to grant four weeks more time to the Speaker and Chairman Senate to find a solution of the issue. To this Justice Minallah remarked that ECP had become dysfunctional and retirement of chairman ECP is not so far.

The court ordered to resolve the issue before December 7, and update the bench. Earlier PML-N counsel Jahangir Jadoon told the court that appointment of the members was made in clear violation of the Constitution and pleaded the court to nullify the August 22's notification. The counsel pointed out that the federal government has not fulfilled constitutional requirements while appointing the ECP members.